I will never forget the first time I learned something in Church before I learned it in school. It was such a fun feeling to already know the history and geography the teacher was explaining because I had learned it from the Bible years earlier. Many other Christians have shared a similar reaction in their school experiences. On some level, it adds a sense of awe and “coolness” to the Bible. (Not that it isn’t cool enough on its own – but that’s another topic for another day!)
Many times when teaching kids and teens the Bible, we focus only on the story. We get so caught up in helping the kids remember who did what to whom, we forget all of that information fits into the context of the world at large. Biblical history is not some special little isolated collection of mysterious almost invisible events. Rather it was as much a part of world history and geography as anything your child will learn in school.
Continue reading Connecting Your Child’s Schoolwork to the Bible
Have you ever thought about how often sheep appear in the Bible? From Jacob and Laban and the spotted/not spotted sheep to the first Passover meal to David as a shepherd boy, sheep play an important role in many Bible stories. Sheep are great animals. They can provide milk, cheese and clothing while still remaining alive to provide again another day. Of course when they were someone’s dinner or used for sacrifices, they needed to be replaced. So soon sheep also became a vital part of the local economy.
Raising small children is indeed a sticky endeavor. In this case, sticky refers to memorable experiences that “stick” with your child throughout life. What I want to talk about specifically is making God, worship, Church, service and faith sharing a part of the precious memories of your children’s childhood. What can you do to make those memories special, fond ones? How can you help imprint those memories so that if your children are ever tempted to leave God and the Church, those memories call them back?
